More Engineers Australia on LinkedIN group ...

Stupidly went and checked out Engineers Australia linkedin group. They are still arguing about chartered status. Someone stated wouldn't want an engineering associate designing the West Gate Bridge . Given that it collapsed during construction, not sure I'd want engineers designing bridges.

Engineer, technologist, technician, applied scientist, industrial mathematician, I don't care less what silly name you have, as long as you are competent to do the task performing. Research the available industry manuals and research papers, think about potential modes of failure, and design taking into consideration both end performance of the finished product, performance during fabrication and construction, and during future maintenance operations.

And as an aside :

1. What is the text book used on cable-nets and tension membranes as part of a B.Eng in civil engineering, and how many real hours do they spend studying such things?
2. What is the text book used for plates and shells, and diaphragms used as part of a B.Eng in civil engineering and once again how many real hours do they spend studying such things?

Actually rhetorical. As far as I know such are not covered by undergraduate degrees to any significant extent. Unfortunately we now have too large a segment of population who would be of view that they need to return to university to get a masters before pursing the design of such things. I would argue if they have the 4 year B.Eng, and they need to return to university to get a masters before designing real world systems, then their learning as part of the B.Eng was dismally poor, and their degree is worthless scrap paper, and maybe they should consider quitting their day job.

Did the people who wrote the papers on the design of reinforced concrete tanks have 3 years B.Sc's or 4 year B.Eng's? How many hours did those with 3 year B.Sc's spend reading and working through such papers to put the theory to use to design and have constructed real concrete tanks?

We have established technologies and much of it was established by persons with 3 year B.Sc's those with the 4 year B.Eng doing routine design are really disrespectful and insulting to their predecessors. Their predecessors didn't get taught the solutions, they had no industry manuals, they brought the solutions to the light of day. And that requires the right attitude, interest, motivation and duty of care, and has stuff all to do with prior formal education.